Sunshine Coast dairy says no to $10b halal industry

Mark Furler is APN Australian Regional Media’s group digital editor. He’s an award-winning journalist who has lived and worked on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast for more than 25 years. He’s passionate about fighting for a better go for locals. His awards include APN Editor of the Year, and involvement in three PANPA Newspaper of the Year wins for the Sunshine Coast Daily.

A SUNSHINE Coast dairy farm has created a social media storm after saying an emphatic no to Australia's $10 billion halal certification industry.

Maleny Dairies posted on Facebook on November 2 that the certification catering for Muslim consumers was 'not for us'.

"There has been a lot of talk around this issue recently and we have received many enquiries from customers concerned that we may go down this route,'' the post said.

"The answer is NO we are not Halal Certified nor will we go down this path.

"We do not wish to increase the costs of our products to cover the expense of Halal Certification.

"We prefer to make sure our local farmers receive a fair and sustainable price for their milk.

"We are working with nine local dairy farming families right here on the Sunny Coast and this is where the money stays. Thanks for your continued support.''

The post was given almost 40,000 likes, shared by more than 4400 people and then sparked a storm of comments - both against halal certification and in favour.

Many Australians have questioned why producers have to pay extra costs to get certified for a minority of consumers.

But supporters say halal certification makes good business sense for Australian businesses as it opens up a massive export market to the north, particularly in places like Indonesia, Malaysia and the Middle East.